The principles stated in Bugmy v The Queen regarding the relevance of a background of disadvantage to moral culpability are capable of applying to even the most serious offences, including premeditated murder; a sentencing judge cannot confine their application to lesser offences. The Bugmy Bar Book may qualify as expert non-opinion evidence capable of assisting a sentencing judge to understand specific evidence about a particular offender's circumstances, but alone it cannot substitute for specific evidence about the individual offender. The question whether a causal connection between deprivation and offending is a prerequisite for the application of Bugmy principles was left open.
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